Academy coursework is taught at the ARL.
The Aerospace Engineering: Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Academy is a two-year program. Rising sophomores who are interested in this program should register for Aerospace I G/T. The program will be fully implemented during the 2016-2017 school year.
The high school Aerospace Engineering: Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Academy is a two-year sequence of courses which, when combined with traditional mathematics and science courses, introduces students to the scope, rigor and discipline of aerospace engineering prior to entering college. In tenth grade, students learn and apply the engineering design process through coursework in Aerospace I G/T, which includes course material from PLTW Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering courses. In eleventh grade, students extend their knowledge of the engineering design process in Aerospace II G/T, which includes course material from Digital Electronics, Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Design and Development courses. Students work in teams to design and construct a solution to an open-ended engineering problem. A mentoring engineer guides students throughout the process. Students must present progress reports, submit a final written report and defend their solutions to a panel of outside reviewers at the end of the school year.
Students seeking postsecondary education are advised to take at least two years of World Language. Students seeking degrees in Engineering are also advised to enroll in Physics and Chemistry.
Aerospace Engineering Academy students must enter the program in the tenth grade and must be concurrently enrolled in Geometry as a minimum level mathematics course.
* Meets Technology Education graduation requirement
In this program students may be eligible for articulated/transcripted credit with many four-year colleges and universities. See the PLTW website for current articulation agreements at www.pltw.org.
There are no formal certification tests given; however, students who have taken high school engineering courses and/or received transcripted college credit have demonstrated their commitment to a rigorous, challenging program. They are prime candidates for a college or university engineering program. Students are encouraged to interview with the head of college programs to discuss what they have learned in high school and what college courses would be appropriate.